Instagram Improves Its 'Search' and 'Explore' Capabilities
By social media editor Melony Roy
MENLO PARK, Calif. (CBS) -- Instagram is rolling out two major updates.
The Facebook-owned photo and video sharing app has revamped its "search" and "explore" features to make it easier for users to find posts in real time connected to specific events, places, or themes.
The new Explore feature takes a "Twitter-like" approach, surfacing trends as they emerge in real time to connect users to events and conversations.
In a blog post, Instagram says, "Through trending Tags and trending Places, you can experience moments like #bonnaroo or #fathersday from every perspective."
The new feature will also include a section for curated collections that will be updated regularly, featuring interesting accounts and places, such as "extreme athletes," "beautiful bridges," or "ancient ruins."
The update also revamped the app's Search feature, which now allow users to search for photos and videos posted from specific locations. The company says users "can now peer in at just about any location on earth, allowing you to scout out your next vacation spot in the South Pacific, get a look inside that hot new restaurant, or experience your favorite music festival even if you couldn't make it this year."
The new search feature also makes it easier to narrow down searches by allowing users to sort results by people, places, or tags.
With more than 70 million photos and videos posted to the network each day, Instagram says it increasingly important for the service to provide its 200 million users with ways to find fresh, relevant content.
Instagram's updated apps for iOS and Android are available now.
